Reclusive Dublin Man Receives Fully Suspended Sentence for Possessing Child Abuse Material

Doblin: A 62-year-old man described as “bored, lonely and isolated” and living a “somewhat reclusive life” has received a fully suspended two-year prison sentence for possessing almost 300 images and videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Ramon Terrobias, of Hampton Wood, St Margaret's Road, Finglas, Dublin 11, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of CSAM — legally defined as child pornography — on March 13, 2021.

Detective Garda Adrian Reilly told the court that gardaí carried out a search of Terrobias’s home on that date. Terrobias answered the door, allowed officers inside, and made several admissions during the search. He also identified devices that were subsequently seized and analysed.

A forensic examination uncovered 296 files containing child abuse material: 144 images and 152 videos. A USB stick and a hard drive each contained one file of CSAM, while two DVDs — packaged as adult content — were found to contain child abuse material when viewed.

During garda interviews, Terrobias claimed that another member of a Facebook group had forwarded him the files. He initially did not realise the content involved child sexual abuse, he said. He also stated that he saved, rather than deleted, the content because he wanted to “watch it later to see who was victimising children.”

Detective Garda Reilly confirmed that Terrobias cooperated fully, had no previous convictions, and had not come to the attention of gardaí before or since the incident. He also agreed that there was no evidence of distribution and that Terrobias’s explanation of how he came into possession of the material was “plausible.” The accused was described as isolated and vulnerable.

Michael O’Higgins SC, defending, told the court that Terrobias moved to Ireland from the Philippines more than 20 years ago and experienced a difficult upbringing. While he had some work history, he has not been employed outside the home since arriving in Ireland and now “effectively lives as a hermit.”

Counsel said his client began viewing adult pornography in 2013 and, at the time of the offence, was “bored, lonely and isolated.” The offending material had been sent to him by an anonymous Facebook user, and Terrobias now expresses “huge regret” for not deleting it — a failure attributed partly to boredom and hoarding tendencies. He stressed that Terrobias was “not attracted or stimulated” by the images.

Since the incident, the defendant has stopped viewing pornography altogether. Although the case has caused strain within his family, his wife remains supportive. A psychological report assessed him as low risk for reoffending.

Judge Martin Nolan, noting the quantity of CSAM found, said Terrobias lived a “very introverted and reclusive life.” He acknowledged the distress the offending had caused within the man’s family.

The judge said Court of Appeal precedent requires consideration of a non-custodial sentence where there are no aggravating factors such as distribution, prior similar convictions, or a “very large number” of images. As none of these aggravating elements were present, and given the mitigation and Terrobias’s personal circumstances, Judge Nolan imposed a two-year prison sentence, suspended in full under strict conditions.